It was a rather hot day and I felt like having soup, but did not want to have hot soup somehow. So I thought of making a cold soup instead and decided upon arugula as I usually enjoy it in salads and figured it would make a nice soup as well.
The result is a refreshing cold soup that leaves one surprisingly full and satisfied. The bitter notes of the endives are softened when sauteed and complement the nutty peppery taste of the arugula. Avocado and coconut milk provide creaminess and body to the soup without the use of dairy cream.
If there’s one thing I would change, it would be the thickness of the apple strips as they have a tendency to oxidise and turn brown very quickly even with the lemon juice marinade, but I couldn’t find my medium size mandoline slicer attachment and had to make do with the finer size attachment. Tastes best served immediately.
Ingredients (Serves 4)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 shallot, peeled & minced
- 3 endives, chopped
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 (5oz/ 142g) pack arugula leaves
- 1 lemon, juiced & divided
- 1 avocado, peeled & seed removed
- 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 2 cups unfiltered apple juice/ non-alcoholic apple cider (you could also try with water or coconut water)
- 1-2 tsp sea salt
- 1 apple
- 4 parsley leaves, as garnish
- Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle over soup
Note: The arugula leaves, lemon, avocado, flat leaf parsley, coconut milk and unfiltered apple juice/ non-alcoholic apple cider should be refrigerated for several hours beforehand in order to yield a sufficiently cold soup
Method
- Heat oil in skillet over medium heat
- Add shallots, endives and garlic powder/ minced garlic and sauté until soft, approximately 5 minutes
- Remove from heat, arrange in a singer layer on a large plate/ baking sheet and allow to cool in the refrigerator for approximately 30 minutes
- Place coconut milk, apple juice, avocado, juice from 1/2 a lemon, arugula leaves, and cooled sauteed endives mix and sea salt into a blender and blend until smooth, approximately 3 minutes
- Using a mandoline slicer, cut apple into strips and marinate with juice of 1/2 a lemon
- Scoop soup onto serving bowls and garnish with apple strips and a parsley leaf and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- Serve immediately
